Second Dialect Acquisition and Stylistic Variation in Mobile Speakers

Project Lead: Prof. Jennifer Nycz, Georgetown University

How do people change their accents after moving to new regions? Mobile people typically acquire some, but not all, of a new region’s dialect features; this project is investigating the developmental, social, and linguistic factors determining what kinds of changes occur, and the ways in which mobile speakers vary their use of accent features to achieve social goals in conversation. This research will help us understand how words and speech sounds are represented in the mind as well as the flexibility of language over the lifespan.

For more information, see the project website or the NSF award abstract.